The present invention relates generally to decoys or countermeasure devices for negating or confusing seeker or tracker devices of homing missiles so that they loose lock on the target, at least temporarily.
Anti-aircraft missiles have electro-optical seeker devices for homing in on the infrared or other wavelength radiation emitted from an aircraft engine tailpipe. Conventional flares are often used in attempting to decoy the seeker devices so that they lose their lock on the target, the aircraft being flown out of line of sight with the missile under the cover of the decoy flare. In conventional pyrotechnic flares, a mixture of chemicals contained in a cartridge is ignited after expelling the flare from the aircraft, forming an infrared source for decoying a hostile infrared seeking missile. The duration of such flares is from milliseconds to seconds in length. Such devices are quite well known and understood, and missile designers have developed means for enabling current missiles to ignore most of the existing flare countermeasures.